In order to be able to insert newspaper advertisements or other folded newspaper inserts into newspapers, such inserts must be fed to an inserting device on a conveyor belt at a certain speed and at a certain distance from one another, namely synchronously with the rhythm at which the newspapers which are to be filled are fed to the inserting device itself. For this purpose, the inserts which are stacked as usual must be removed from their stack and must be placed onto a conveyor belt which feeds same to the mentioned separating device. The inserts are positioned on the conveyor belt extensively overlapping one another in many layers, namely it is possible to feed with a relatively slow moving conveyor belt large amounts of inserts to the separating device. The separating itself is accomplished by very suddenly accelerating the respectively underlying insert through friction rollers at the change point of the continuous conveyor belt. The insert is engaged by fast-running conveyor rollers and it can be freed from the inserts which overlap it and can be fed to a belt which runs quickly and synchronously with the inserting device. In order that only the insert which is the lowest and in front is accelerated, a gap is provided which can be adjusted in height, the height of which gap corresponds, to the thickness of the respective insert or the fold of the insert, which fold lies in front in the direction of movement. The inserts are thereby fed from the conveyor belt to a carrier which lies in the belt plane, for example to a plate, which forms the lower gap limit.
It is known to arrange above the mentioned carrier of the insert which is to be accelerated a diaphragm plate which is inclined with respect to the carrier, the lower edge of which diaphragm plate limits the mentioned gap. This diaphragm plate is suppose to hold, on the one hand, a small storage of inserts and on the other hand successive inserts having shifted folds. Only if the shifted folds are secured will the separating device operate reliably. If the fold of a later insert extends into the gap prior to the undermost insert, the latter then blocks the gap for the earlier one and the operation is interrupted. The mentioned storage is, on the other hand, necessary in order to exclude an interruption of the insert flow and thus the exiting of newspapers without inserts from the inserting device.
Separating devices can process a large number of pieces, for example 25,000 inserts per hour. This means that the insert conveyor belt must feed to the mentioned device also 25,000 inserts per hour and must itself be loaded with the same number. This can only be carried out by a few operators if the inserts can be removed in bundles from the ready stacks and can be thrown immediately onto the belt without alignment and with a more or less arbitrary orientation of the folds and by stopping the bundle lying on the conveyor belt with the flat hand. However, in the case of this type of loading of the conveyor belt, a perfect shifting of the folds of the inserts which engage the diaphragm plate of the separating device is not achievable.
The purpose of the invention is to convert the irregular insert flow on the conveyor belt, that is irregular with respect to number and alignment, to a form such that the desired necessary fold position and fold shifting of the folds on the diaphragm plate of the separating device is achieved with certainty.
The inventive device which has been produced to attain this purpose is characterized by at least one oscillatably supported diaphragm plate which can be periodically oscillated by a drive and which moves into the flow of the inserts, the oscillating direction of which diaphragm plate is determined such that it impacts or strikes the inserts which accumulate at the diaphragm plate opposite to their direction of movement to effect an alignment of the inserts.
Means can be provided behind the diaphragm plate which define a gap of adjustable height and, for example, permit only three inserts to pass therethrough. If the overlapping is thereby 2/3 of the size of the inserts measured in conveying direction, then the fourth insert which follows three inserts must enter into the gap, when same is not as yet entirely free, even though only the second and third insert is in the gap. This is due to the fact that sharp bends cannot form at the overlapping points. In order to achieve a secure introduction of the fold of each insert into the gap, the diaphragm plate can be suspended and can be driven such that it carries out during each complete oscillation both a movement against the conveying direction of the inserts and also a movement at an acute angle relative thereto. Through the movement of the control plate in its plane or approximately in this plane, a compressing of each fold of each insert is achieved when same is supposed to enter into the gap.
A lateral alignment of the inserts can take place in front of the diaphragm plate. One can thus prevent angular or orientation errors of the inserts with respect to the transport direction and improves the achieving of the necessary shift in the folds.